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2023-2024 FGS Academic Calendar | York University Faculty of Graduate Studies

Science & Technology Studies

Posted on 17 August 2022

Science & Technology Studies

Posted on 17 August 2022

All Programs

LocationEmail AddressProgram Website
Vari Hall, 100 York Boulevardgrad_sts@yorku.cayorku.ca/gradstudies/sts/

The Graduate Program in Science & Technology Studies offers advanced training leading to the MA and PhD degrees. Research in Science and Technology Studies applies the methods and theories of the social sciences and humanities to the examination of scientific knowledge and technology, both past and present. Drawing upon the demonstrated expertise of a wide range of faculty, the program provides highly qualified students with a unique opportunity of doing specialized academic work in science and technology studies.

Science and technology studies is a discipline focused on the complex relationship between science, technology, and society. Although there are a range of different analytical and methodological approaches in science and technology studies, there are still a number of core analytical assumptions that are often used to define it. First, scientific knowledge is collectively produced, constituted, and legitimated, meaning that there is no inherent logic to the progress of science. Second, we can and should analyse ‘true’ and ‘false’ scientific claims symmetrically, using the same analytical tools to understood both. Third, any understanding of science and technology must pay attention to both the social and the material context, meaning that we have to pay attention to how physical objects shape societal choices and actions. Fourth, science and technology are not necessarily distinguishable so that we can understand them analytically as ‘technoscience.’ Fifth, technoscience is socially and culturally configured and is not, therefore, free from social bias and prejudice (e.g., sexism, racism). Sixth, technoscientific knowledge is socially and culturally powerful, representing a specific form of authority and expertise; however, other forms of ‘lay’ expertise or ‘citizen science’ can also be valid when considering both technoscientific and political actions and choices. Seventh, technoscience and society are often co-produced in that our social orders are shaped by technoscience, and vice versa. Finally, there is a political economy of technoscience requiring us to understand how the allocation of financial resources to research and innovation comes to shape that research and innovation in certain ways, which can be inequitable and unjust. This brief outline of science and technology studies does not do justice to the complex ways that science and technology studies’ scholars have explored the relationship between science, technology, and society. As such, it can only be a starting point for students to take further in their studies and research.

Science and technology studies is a dynamic discipline and the Graduate Program in Science & Technology Studies at York University has been designed to take this into account. The program places particular stress on the need to engage regularly with peers and faculty members in the program through dedicated research clusters that reflect the current research interests and strengths of program members, faculty and students. These research clusters change over time, so more information may be found on current research clusters on the program website.

Admission Requirements

MA

PhD

The deadline for applications is published on the Admissions website.

Applicants must have:

  • an Honours BA or BSc, or equivalent, from a recognized university in field(s) relevant to Science and Technology Studies, with a grade average of at least B+ in the last two years of study. Examples of relevant undergraduate degrees include any BA or BSc degree in which the student has completed a significant amount of coursework on the application of the social sciences and/or humanities to an understanding of science or technology. Strong science and arts students with no prior work in science and technology studies or a related field are considered on a case by case basis.
  • three letters of recommendation
  • a statement of intent which provides a cogent rationale for undertaking study in science and technology studies and defines a topic area for an independent project
  • a sample of written work relevant to graduate study

The deadline for applications is published on the Admissions website.

Applicants must have:

  • a master’s degree, or equivalent, from a recognized university in field(s) relevant to science and technology studies, with a grade average of at least a B+. Examples of relevant master’s degrees
  • include any MA or MSc degree in which the student has completed a significant amount of coursework on the social sciences and/or humanities to an understanding of science or technology.
  • three letters of recommendation
  • a statement of intent which provides an outline of the dissertation project the applicant would like to undertake and a cogent rationale for undertaking study at York University
  • a sample of written work relevant to graduate study in science and technology studies

Degree Requirements

MA

PhD

MA

The MA program is a one-year program which introduce students to graduate study in science and technology studies. It is open to qualified students who do not or may not plan to pursue further graduate study in science and technology studies or in other professional degree programs beyond the MA and also to qualified students who plan or may plan to continue their studies at the doctoral level or in other professional degree programs.

All MA candidates are required to develop a plan of study in which they provide an integrated, coherent rationale for their studies as they relate to their coursework and major research paper. The plan of study must be approved by the Graduate Program Director. A preliminary plan must be discussed with their advisor/supervisor at the beginning of the first term, with the end of the first term as the
deadline for a final plan approved by the Graduate Program Director.

  • Students are required to take 18 credits in graduate courses consistent with their plan of study.
  • Students are required to take:
    • the three credit introduction science and technology studies in the fall term.
    • one three credit research cluster course, running over fall and winter terms.
    • the non-credit colloquium course, running over fall and winter terms.
    • at least one three credit Science and Technology Studies elective course.
  • Students have the option to take:
    • one other three credit research cluster course, running over fall and winter terms.
    • one three credit directed reading course.
    • one three credit course offered by another graduate program relevant to their studies and in consultation with the Graduate Program Director.

Students are required to demonstrate in a major research paper their grasp of a subject within science and technology studies. The major research paper may be related to the work that students have done in one or more of their courses, but it must demonstrate independent research. It should be completed by the end of the summer of the first year of study. The major research paper is formally evaluated and graded by the supervisor and second reader agreed with the student, and in consultation with the Graduate Program Director. The supervisor must be a member of the Science & Technology Studies graduate program.

The MA program can be completed on a full- or part-time basis.
Entry is fall term.

The expected degree completion time for full-time master’s students is 3 terms; part-time students are expected to complete within 6
terms. For those students who complete degree requirements earlier than 3 terms, they must register and pay fees for a minimum of the equivalent of 3 terms of full-time study. All requirements for a master’s degree must be fulfilled within 12 terms (4 years) of registration as a full-time or part-time master’s student in accordance with Faculty of Graduate Studies’ registration policies.

PhD

The PhD program is a multiyear program of advanced graduate study whose purpose is the training of students to become highly qualified scholars in science and technology studies. The program culminates in the preparation of a dissertation that makes an original contribution to scholarship in science and technology studies.

All PhD applicants are required to identify a supervisor in the program before admission. Once in the program, PhD candidates are required to develop a plan of study in which they provide an integrated, coherent rationale for their studies as they relate to their coursework, competencies examination, and dissertation. Both the student’s supervisor and the Graduate Program Director must approve the plan of study. Candidates should discuss their plans with supervisors and the Graduate Program Director at the beginning of their first term, with the end of the year as the deadline for finalizing the plan.

Faculty member supervisors are responsible for ensuring that students develop an integrated, coherent plan of study and complete their degree requirements in timely fashion and for providing them with general academic advice (with regard, for instance, to preparing for their competencies examination; applying for scholarships and teaching fellowships; writing their dissertation; attending and contributing to scholarly conferences and learning how to prepare scholarly papers for publication in learned journals; and undertaking a job search which may require the preparation of a detailed teaching dossier).

  • Students are required to take 15 credits in courses consistent with their plan of study, as approved by their supervisor and the Graduate Program Director.
  • Students will be required to take:
    • the three credit introduction to science and technology studies in the fall term of their first year, unless they have already taken the course as an MA student in the York University Science & Technology Studies graduate program.
    • one three credit research cluster course, running over fall and winter terms (PhD1).
    • one non-credit research cluster course, running over fall and winter terms (PhD2).
    • one non-credit colloquium course, running over fall and winter terms (PhD1 and PhD2).
    • at least one three credit Science & Technology Studies elective course.
  • Students have the option to take:
    • one other three credit research cluster course, running over fall and winter terms.
    • one three credit directed reading course.
    • one three credit course offered by another graduate program relevant to their studies and in consultation with the Graduate Program Director.

Students are required to complete a competencies exam by the end of their second year (term 6). The examination is based on three reading lists, and has both an oral and written component. The first list tests a student’s general knowledge of science and technology studies as a discipline; the second list tests their specialized knowledge of a specific topic or research area in science and technology studies; and the third exam tests their application of science and technology studies to a distinct career pathway and can include active research engagement outside the University (e.g., internship, community research, social activism, etc.). Students create the second and third lists themselves, but the first list is set by the program. Students produce a written ‘output’ of 6000 words that deals with all three lists, but mainly focuses on their final list and career pathway; for example, it could be an essay, course outline, policy report, internship report, community research project, documentary film, art installation, etc. Students are then examined in a three-hour presentation and discussion of their three lists by a competencies examination committee comprising three faculty members, two of whom must be from the Science & Technology Studies graduate program.

The objectives of the competencies examination are threefold: first, to prepare and qualify students to teach undergraduate courses in the areas examined; second, to equip students with the initial specialized knowledge they need to undertake research on their doctoral dissertation; and third, to prepare students for different career pathways. Students are expected to demonstrate competency within their designated areas of the examination. This is assessed through an evaluation of a student’s written output and their responses to questions during the examination that address the material on the reading lists. Outcomes of the exam include: qualified; qualified with condition (decided by the committee); and not qualified.

In the case of a not qualified outcome, students are permitted to re-sit the examination only once, and the re-examination is to take place within six months of the date of the first examination. A second failure requires withdrawal from the program. The examination committee is composed of three faculty members: the student’s supervisor, a Graduate Program in Science & Technology Studies’ faculty member appointed by the Graduate Program Director in consultation with the student and the supervisor; and either another Science & Technology Studies’ faculty member or a member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies from another graduate program appointed by the Graduate Program Director in consultation with the student and the supervisor.

Students working in an area where the language is other than English must demonstrate to the members of their dissertation supervisory committee that they have the ability to read primary sources and secondary literature in that language.

Students must complete a dissertation that makes an original contribution to science and technology studies scholarship. The dissertation can take three forms according to Faculty of Graduate Studies’ regulations: first, a 60,000-100,000 word research monograph; second, three or four refereed and published/accepted journal articles and/or book chapters (‘by manuscript’), as well as a 20,000 word introduction and conclusion that ties the published work together in a coherent whole; or third, a multi-modal project comprising an alternative output (e.g., documentary film, art installation, organizational project, etc.) and 30,000 word report explaining its relevance to theories, concepts, and research in science and technology studies.

The PhD program can be completed on a full-time basis. Entry is fall term.

Full-time students are expected to complete their studies within five academic years of admission (15 terms). Doctor of Philosophy
students must register and pay fees for a minimum of the equivalent of six terms of full-time registration. All requirements for a doctoral degree must be fulfilled within 18 terms (6 years) of registration as a full-time or part-time doctoral student in accordance with Faculty of Graduate Studies’ registration policies.